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Research funding opportunities

In Norway, funding for research is provided via a sectoral principle, meaning that the various ministries are responsible for funding research within their respective sectors. The Ministry of Research and Education coordinates overall research policy, which is approved by the Government and the Storting (Norwegian parliament).

Public R&D funding is either allocated directly to the research institutions or channelled through funding agencies.

Researchers wishing to come to Norway should normally look for a position at a research institution as it is the research institutions that directly advertise project-related researcher positions, including doctoral and post-doctoral positions.

Norway has a single research council which covers the entire spectrum from basic research to innovation, and administers a wide variety of funding schemes and research programmes. Funding from the Research Council is awarded on a competitive basis in the form of project funding and other types of support.

Please note that the partner to the contract with the Research Council must be a Norwegian research institution. Thus, foreign researchers must be affiliated with a Norwegian research institution to have access to the schemes and programmes. International collaboration is an integral component of all Research Council activities.

Funding for research and innovation projects, grants and networking measures are available from several sources. On the Research Council’s website you will find information about Research Council programmes, Horizon 2020, European Joint Programming Initiatives, Nordic research funding, European Innovation Network, EEA and Norway Grants, scholarships and mobility grants, and priority partner countries.

The programme International Partnerships for Excellent Education and Research (INTPART) awards funding for partnerships between Norwegian higher education and research institutions and excellent partners in priority countries. Special emphasis is placed on integrating higher education and research, and partnerships may also include partners from the business sector. The INTPART programme is a collaboration between the Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Education (SIU) and the Research Council.

Nordic collaboration in research and innovation is divided into two main pillars with appurtenant funding agencies: one for research – NordForsk – and one for innovation – Nordic Innovation. The two agencies issue calls for proposals on their respective websites.

Nordic Centres of Excellence (NCoEs) are a funding instrument that brings together outstanding Nordic researchers and research groups in priority research areas to create added value through Nordic collaboration and pooling of resources and to further enhance the scientific quality of Nordic research.

The Research Council of Norway is a national body for the development and implementation of national research strategy and allocates 30 per cent of all public R&D funding. The Council is responsible for enhancing Norway’s knowledge base and for promoting basic and applied research and innovation in order to help meet research needs within society. The Research Council also works actively to encourage international research cooperation. For more information see:Research Council of Norway

Innovation Norway employs funding instruments to support Norwegian companies in developing their competitive advantages and to enhance innovation. For more information see: Innovation Norway

The Industrial Development Corporation of Norway (SIVA) is a government enterprise and national instrument for developing and facilitating innovation through ownership in infrastructure, investment in real estate and development of knowledge networks. For more information see: SIVA